Time control for radios



Dec. 27, 1932. E, w ERCKSON 1,891,901

TIME CONTROL FOR RADIOS Filed Aug. 17. 1931 F131 al Erick N Eriakno abbo/LMO,

Patented Dec. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ERICE W. ERICKSON, F ENUHULAW, WASHINGTON 'rum coN'rRoL ron. Ramos Application led August 17, 1931. Serial No. 557,489.

My invention relates to devices adapted to be inserted in the electric power circuit of.

a radio set, whereby said circuit may be automatically closed to energize the radio at a certain predetermined time.

The object-of my invention is to provide a. switch device which, normally open, will be closed by means of a clock. Other objects are, to provide a switch which will be closed b i the turning of an alarm-winding l'ieyv of a c ock, when the said alarm is started bythe ing key which winds in a leftor ka right? hand direction; which is cheap tomake, 'easy to apply, and effective in use. f

I attain these and other objectsby the devices, and arrangementsillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation showing a radio 'power circuit with my improved time control,j spngs 23 and 24 .mayxeach have an Dsen) lfas at 26, to engage the inside of the wall of in operative connection therewith; Fig. `2 is an elevation of a part of the rear side of' an alarm clock, showin my improved switchin operative position t ereon; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the alarm winder key, withthe key clamp applied thereto; Fig. iis van end elevation thereof; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the switch drawn to an enlarged scale and adapted for use on 'a right-hand windin alarm key; Fig. 6 is a similar view of the ey end thereof showing the switch lever reversed to adapt it to a left-hand winding alarm key; and Fig. 7 is a cross-section of my improved switch, taken on the line 11-11 in Fig. 5.

Similar numerals of reference referyto similar parts throughout the several. views.

In modern radio sets l the power circuit is connect-ed to the ordinary house electricli ht circuit by meansof a power cable 2.

A so the radio set is provided with a suitable switch, not shown, to complete or break the power circuit as desired. vIt is, however, often desired to turn on the radio set at some delinite time automatically and this is accomplished with my apparatus, by means of a' branch circuit 15, inserted in series in the ,Referringl seen. thatrt y switch. Thisclockswitch,comprises a conmain power circuit 2 ofthe'radio set, and leadingtherefrom toy the hereinafter de scribedclock-operated switch, which may be 'positioned at any desired location.

'v'ow to the drawing, it will be e"""wire 15 extends to the clock tain'er made o .suitable insulating material, saidcontainerfebeing made of two cylinders 2l and 22. The upper open end of the cylinm der 21 is slightly tapered off andis adapted to fit in the correspondingly shaped o enlower two long Hat-springs 23 and 24respectively. These springsl 23 vvandL24.- are secured on the two sides o which extends romthe lower ends of the said springs upward aboutftwo-thirds of they length of the saidcylin'der 21. The said the cylinder 21, as shown.

The upper cylinder 22 is provided with a an insulator separator bar 25,v

' end of the cylinder 22.. The cylin er 21 has f an opening at itslower end adapted to admit Y the ,'cableflr" 'ofthe branch circuit. The two'` wiresof thecable v15 are secured to the ends of transverse square removable shaft 27,'carrying a key clamp 28 atoneend and secured in place in the cylinder 22`.by means of a nut 29, at the other end. The' key clamp 28 comprises two spring ears adapted to tightly grip the flat portion of the alarm-Winder key 30,-

of the clock 31, between them. These ears are preferably turned out at their lower ends (Fig. 4) thereby permitting them to be freely slid over the key 30, when the device is applied to a clock. Also,f in2some cases, the alarmfwinder key is made lin channel form with two shallow separated ears and, in such cases, the saidout-turned ears of the clamp are. npressed' between the ears of the key.

Tliisaid square shaft 27 passes through the blib 0r boss32fot the switch lever. `This switch lever'lieswithin the cylinder 22 and is preferably made of insulating material and comprises the hub 32 and the tangential arm 33.l The arm 33 extends out towards the lower end of the cylinder 22 and is adapted to lie outside of one or the other of the springs 23 or 24 andto contact therewith when the y, the other spring 24, or vin dotted lines in two parts of the switch are assembled, as shown. Q

It is evident that the shaft 27 may be inserted through the hub 32 to cause the axis of the key clamp 28 to lie either parallel with the axis of the cylinders 21 and 22 (Fig. 2) or at right-angles thereto (Figs. 3 and 4). Also it is evident that the hub 32 of the switch lever may be turned over to bring t-he arm 33 above the axis of the cylinders (Fig. 5) or below the said axis (Fig. 6) thereby adapting the switch to be ap lied to either a rightor a left-hand windin ey 30.

A rubber or ot er suitable tube 34 maybe placed over the lower end of the cylinder 21 and the cable 15 inder from sliding if the clock is on a hifghly polished surface, as a table, and to reen orce the cable 15 at that point.

Then it is desired to set the apparatus the alarm clock 31 is set to act at the desired time and the key 30 is given a slight winding turn (about a quarter turn is sutiicient) an then the key clamp 28 of the switch is slipped over the key 30 in such manner that the end of the cylinder 2l will engage the base on which the clock 31 rests, when the alarm key 30 turns under the action of its released spring.

Then the radio switch is again turned on.

lVhen the alarm is, later, released by the time mechanism in the clock, the end of the cylinder 21 moves until it comes in contact with the base on which the clock 31 rests and stops further rotation of the switch cylinders with the key but permits the further slight rotation of the key 30 about the axis of the shaft 27, thereby turning the hub 32 and arm 33 to push the one spring 23 into contact with vice versa, as shown Fig. 5, and, when these springs 23 and 24 are thus brought into contact, the power circuit is completed through them and the radio is started.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s:

1. In a time controlled switch, the combination with a time-released spring-wound key; of an elongated container clam ed thereon, having a wire entering and leavlng the container; two spring separated terminals for the wire positioned within said container; and a rotatable lever arm within said container and connected to said key, and adapted to engage one of said terminals to complete the circuit when the key is actuated and when the end of the elongated container is prevented from further rotation.

2. In a time controlled switch, the combination with a time-released spring-wound key; of an elongated container, having a wire entering and leaving the container; a lever arm ivotally mounted in one end of said container; a clamp attached to said lever arm to keep the end of the cyl- A arch, 1931.

ERICK W. ERICKSON. 

